Gravel and Dust
by gkmoberg1
Summary: The events that unfold one sunny afternoon alongside a stretch of roadway that spans a gold and green grassy field.
1. Chapter 1

_Gravel and Dust_

**Chapter One**

Bright warm summer daylight met the apprentice's eyes when she awoke. All was still around her as she lay on her side. She felt lightheaded, as if a dream had filled her with warmth and was slow to leave her waking mind. But she could not recall it, none of it. So she lay there with her eyes open, gazing ahead.

She took a shallow breath. The effort of breathing in brought some pain to her chest and she cut the breath short. Slowly she exhaled. No pain for this effort.

There were trees in full leaf off in the distance. A great deal of open green tall summergrass lay between her and them. She watched the tree tops gently sway in the breeze although here where she lay it was completely still. It was peaceful to lie here and look at them. The warmth of the sun on her pelt felt good.

A worry crossed her mind and with it came a line of pain. It started somewhere back near her ear, the one beneath her head as she lay on the ground, and arced over her little forehead and came to a point just above her eye. Where was she? This was not the clan's camp... that would be out in the field, amidst the grasses. So where was she now and why should she be waking up here?

As much as this should have alarmed her, it didn't. If anything she was overwhelmed with a continued sense of calm. She lay there, still on her side, pondering this when it became necessary to attempt a second breath. It took a conscious effort but she breathed in. And again a pain burned in her chest. The pain rose quickly as she continued the attempt to breathe. She simply couldn't continue, so she let the effort ebb and in a short while she let back out the partial breath. The line of pain above her eye continued to sting and began to rise in strength until she had to squint in order to keep the eye open.

It occurred to her that there was still no sound. Nothing. No sound of the breeze. No sound of the roadway. No sound of birds nor any of the myriad of insects that live in the grasses of her home. The quiet was complete and although it was peaceful, yes, it was not right. The roadway always made the noise of the great creatures that blasted along its length. The buzz of the dragonflies, bees and flies should be audible at this time of day. The sound of the breeze, even if gentle, moving the grasses around her should be something she should pick up on. But there was nothing, no sound.

She wondered where her clanmates might be. Where was her mentor?

She wanted to breathe so she concentrated on this. But a third attempt only brought a stronger rush of pain from somewhere in her chest. Again she gave up long before she could pull in much air. The first alarm of panic started to rise in her mind. "What's going on?" she thought. She tried again, hard. She expanded her stomach muscles so as to pull in the breath but with the sudden effort there came no wind but instead a great scream of pain. It erupted again within her chest and she lurched in reaction to it. Her mouth opened in a cry of anguish but the strength of the pain froze her before any sound could be made.

Panic began to flood her mind. The arc of pain atop her head was yet stronger! Her eyes grew wide and she wanted to bolt. She needed to rush into the grasses, find her mentor, maybe find the clan medicine cat, maybe find a drink, maybe find a place out of the sun, maybe... But she wasn't moving. She couldn't. She was lying on her side still looking out across the grassland towards the trees in the distance.

With the panic came the need to breathe. But the only way she found she could breathe was by using frequent short breaths. Anything stronger than a brief inhale brought an eruption of the pain within her chest. She wanted to flee. "Move," she commanded herself, "Move!" But all the happened was ... nothing. She flung out a paw in front of herself to get herself going. Or that was the intention. But no paw moved. Her leg didn't even twitch. Instead she felt another wave of calm swim over her and her panic mixed with exhaustion.

* * *

><p>"Mommy! She's still alive!"<p>

Sarah had burst from her car door as soon as she could. Margaret cut the engine and turned to see her daughter racing back along the roadway. She called out "No honey, be careful!" She pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the door on her side. A small truck roared by and the blast of wind tried to blow the door back at her. With renewed effort she pushed the car door open and took off after her eleven year old daughter.

Sarah was standing overtop the cat. It was in on piece ... "Thank God," Margaret thought. And no blood. "Don't touch it Sarah," she commanded. But Sarah was already down on her knees, getting the roadside dust and gravel into her dance tights. She put out one hand to the cat and stroked it along its length. It didn't move. It's eyes were open but the little cat wasn't moving. "Honey, please," Margaret said arriving now next to the poor little thing, "Please don't touch it." But Sarah turned with tears bursting from her eyes "Mommmm, it didn't mean to run out in front of us. It looked so scared." The sound of the thump, that awful thump, was a memory both mother and daughter were still living.

It had happened in a blink of an eye: an routine drive home from afternoon dance class interrupted by a sharp swerve as two cats had raced out of the roadside grasses and right into their lane. There had been too little time to react. One cat had disappeared off the far side of the roadway and was gone. The other... the thump .. and now this.

Sarah turned and buried her face in her mother's warmth. "It's going to die mommmmy! We killed it," and the cloudburst of tears exploded from her.

Margaret struggled over what to do. She pulled her daughter up and forced her back towards the car. Taking a mental inventory of what she had with them she reached for her keys and used them to pop open the car's trunk. Hurriedly she pulled a out a beach blanket and pushed it into Sarah's hands. "Here, take this to her. Place it over her but don't move her." This gave Sarah something to do. The tears stopped - a little - and she ran back to the quiet young she-cat, still lying motionless beside the road.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Shade sat at the edge of the grasses. She looked up the slight incline, across the gravel and dust towards her stricken apprentice. Just beyond her friend the land leveled out and was flat. It became the narrow yet endless plateau that the great roaring beasts used to blast their way through the grassy fields of their clan's homeland.

Silverpaw had not moved since she and one of the great roaring beasts had collided. The drone of the roadway, deafening because it was so close, was almost too much to bear but Shade was not going to leave Silverpaw.

The tall ones were returning. They had approached Silverpaw a minute ago and then departed. Now they were back. The shorter one was waving a broad, thin sheet of colors and was now placing it over the top of her little charge. Silverpaw would be in a panic, Shade realized, yet she was not moving. Only the very slight rise and fall of her upturned flank gave Shade the knowledge that Silverpaw was alive.

The two tall ones where now directly next to Silverpaw. The taller one was speaking tones to the shorter one, who was crouched directly onto the ground. Silverpaw was hidden beneath the colorful sheet and Shade could no longer see her. Yet she knew her apprentice was still present and the actions of the shorter tall one showed that Silverpaw was of great concern to them.

Shade wanted to reveal herself to them. She was fighting back the urge to advance and drive them off. She was one of her clan's best warriors and she believed that despite the size of the tall ones, she could back them off. But she wanted to wait. She needed to see that Silverpaw was ready to run with her. It would do no good to let loose her plan before her apprentice could escape and at present this did not seem at all likely.

After a bit she shuffled a fox tail's length backwards into the taller grasses. Tall ones rarely noticed her and she had been near tall ones on several occasions. However she did not want to risk being seen, at least not until she was ready to spring her plan on them. Silverpaw was very important to her and she would wait as long as necessary to save her. Marigold, her littermate, had given birth to Silverpaw seven moons ago and it was an honor as well as her dearest treasure to have been given responsibility to oversee this beautiful and eager she-cat's training.

"Silverpaw," she meowed gently into the breeze.

The tall ones continued to stay beside her apprentice. The taller one remained motionless. The younger one crouched on all fours directly above the colored sheet.

It might be a long wait, but Shade was ready to outlast them.

* * *

><p>Margaret turned when she heard the next car decelerate and pull over onto the gravel strip where she stood above her daughter. The crunch of wheels on the loose surface slowed and the car came to a stop. She held her hand up to her eyes and smiled when she recognized the driver.<p>

"Hello Gail!" she called out. A morsel of luck might be yet on her side today after all.

"Hello Margaret, what do we have here?" asked her friend as she exited her car. It was her daughter's pediatrician.

Upon hearing the exchanged greetings, little Sarah looked away from the cat which she had gently wrapped up and was closely watching. Sarah felt uneasy. Dr. Bernard was nice to her and was a friend of her parents. Deep breath. But she was also the one who peered into her mouth using a flat stick, looked into her ears with a black wand, shone strange lights into her eyes, banged an odd mallet on her knees and - worst of all - had given her shots. But maybe, Sarah thought, this very same person might be able to do all that here and now and save this little cat.

Sarah didn't want the cat to die and she hoped it wasn't already dead. It hadn't moved and even though Sarah didn't know what a dead cat might look like she was increasingly afraid that the little thing hidden under the family beach blanket might be the first. She really, really didn't want that. She turned to look up at Dr. Bernard, ready to tell her what had happened and that the cat needed help. Yet all that she could do was cry - it came out as a wail. Were she older Sarah might have been embarrassed by this show of emotion. But no, it was genuine - a cry of desperate hope that time had not run out so soon and that something from Dr. Bernard's tools or her thoughtful words would fix everything.

"Let me see," said Dr. Bernard, taking Sarah's hand and kneeling next to her. An explanation of what had happened wasn't necessary; Gail could see the whole story of what had transpired.

Sarah pulled back the beach blanket far enough to reveal the yet motionless cat.

"Hmmm," said Dr. Bernard. It was the voice Dr. Bernard used at the doctor's office, Sarah could tell. Sarah looked over at her and let her touch the cat. She watched as her doctor slowly and gently moved from a first set of tentative pokes to stronger touches. She moved her hands along the cat's side, felt about her head and neck and then ran her hands down each of the cat's legs. During this entire time the cat did not move and Sarah dared not breathe.

"Okay Sarah," Dr. Bernard said at last. Her mom was right behind her but she liked that Dr. Bernard was talking directly to her and not her mom. She knew this was going to be important and listened carefully. "The is a wild female cat. The correct term is a 'feral cat.' She does not look like she has ever been seen by a veterinarian and has likely lived here in these fields her entire life." Sarah listened. "She's been stunned by the hit she took. She's not in shock but she has had the wind knocked out of her. Do you know what that means." Sarah wanted to say yes but her throat was locked up tight with stress. So she nodded while looking to Dr. Bernard's eyes. "Good," said Dr. Bernard. She paused and then continued. "It's going to take her a little while, but she'll get her wind back and then she'll want to be off. Her legs and body seem fine. Amazingly she's in one piece and will likely be good as new after a couple days of rest." Sarah could finally breathe.

"You've been a good helper to her, Sarah," Dr. Bernard continued. "If you and your mom have time, you might want to stay with her. But I suggest you don't move her and that you stay back a bit. Let her get up on her own. I know you might want to keep touching her but she might not be that nice in return - even though you've saved her. Understand?" Sarah nodded. "Yes," she managed.

"Okay good. You've done a fine thing here, helping out this little cat."

Dr. Bernard looked gently into Sarah's face and gave her a smile. It fortified Sarah to learn she had done a good thing during such an awful moment.

Her doctor stood and then talked to her mom. It was boring talk and Sarah was soon lost in watching the side of the little cat. She could see how her side rose and fell with each slow breath. Sarah smiled down at her and wiped away her final tears. She felt happy. This was going to be a good ending; she could tell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The apprentice opened her eyes. She was still lying on her side. This time the world was red. In front of her waved hues of red and a streak of yellow. The colors gently vibrated close to her face. Bright summer sunlight was coming through something, lying all around her, and the glow that shown through to her was brilliant bright red.

She blinked a couple of times. _Must have been napping_, she thought, _but for how long? And where am I? _Things didn't make sense. The apprentice sized up that she should be in the grassy fields, looking for prey and following the lead of her mentor. But she could neither see nor smell her.

Silverpaw raised a paw to her mouth and gave it a lick. She then rubbed it over her nose. That felt good and she remembered recently not being able to move at all. Glad to find that her paw was responding, she turned to figuring out whether breathing still hurt and then whether standing up might be possible.

The line of pain across the top of her head had subsided. It felt as if she had used it to ram into something strong, but what that might have been she did not know.

…

Mother and daughter waved good-bye to Dr. Bernard as she drove off. Margret then made Sarah promise _three times_ that she would stay standing right where she was. Leaving Sarah crouching over the covered up cat, she went back to the car, started it, waited until the road was empty of traffic and then turned the car in a U-turn. Driving back passed her daughter, she turned a second U-turn. Slowing, she pulled the car onto the strip of gravel and dust that bordered the roadway. She stopped well short of Sarah and the injured cat, put the car in park, even put on the parking break, and then got out. Their car now effectively blocked the gravel strip on the little cat's side of the road from oncoming traffic.

She called Sarah over, who initially pretended not to hear her. Giving her a moment longer, Margaret busied herself by making a place for them to sit in the grass next to the car. The car, sitting on the gravel alongside the road, gave them a bit of noise barrier from the passing cars and bit of shade from the afternoon sun.

…

Shade crouched low and stalked out of the taller grasses, covering half the distance to Silverpaw. Her ears were held back and her eyes were locked on the hunched over tall one. She moved forward and up the start of the incline with the skills of an experienced warrior, strong muscles working together and her footsteps entirely silent.

The larger tall ones had moved away. With only a single tall one remaining overtop her apprentice, Shade was gaining confidence. This one, the smallest of the ones who had been here, should be easier to drive away once Silverpaw was ready to move.

She watched as this tall one continued to toy with the large red sheet that had been wrapped around her apprentice. Shade had been unable to see Silverpaw since the red thing had been placed around her, but Shade was very confident Silverpaw was still there underneath it.

Reaching a point barely short of leaping distance, she settled herself down low into the shoulder high grass. This would be her forward position from where to strike.

Then a surprise happened. The tall one straightened up, all the way to full height. The she-creature was so close yet did not realize Shade's presence. Shade calmly looked up, way up, at the tall one. The creature's face perhaps was not as horrible as she had been imagining. The face seemed gentle and completely without any expression of malice, rather the opposite, and was framed by a mane of hair that blew about her head. Then with purposeful movement the tall one walked away from Shade and moved over to where the other tall one was crouched beside a quiet road beast. Shade repositioned herself slightly so as to keep an eye on them yet also so as to keep an even closer eye on her apprentice's resting spot.

Shade let out a low call to her apprentice, hoping she would hear.

…

"Sarah…"

"Mom?"

Sarah had arranged herself on the grass next to her mother, sitting with her knees up. She brushed the roadside dirt from her dance tights and turned her head to look at her mom.

"I'm sorry I don't have any snacks for us…"

"Do you think she'll like we put the towel around her? It's like a little house for her, isn't it?"

"I think she will like it," said Margaret, pleased to see how well her daughter was handling all this. "Yes, I suppose it is rather like a little house. Did you leave her a way to get out?"

"Yes! I made it so that if she lifts her head, it'll lift right up through and she'll be able to see where she is."

"Oh, that's good Sarah. She will like that."

Sarah turned back to looking at the where the cat lay. She rested her head on her knees and held a hand up to remove the sunlight's glare. Margaret reached over and gently played with her daughter's brown hair as it floated in the afternoon's gentle breeze.

…

Silverpaw had taken a couple good breaths. She hurt but the pain was not like before. Pulling in her paws she righted herself and then sat up. Her head poked up and out of the red lit world she had been lying in and now she returned to the afternoon sunshine. At almost the same moment she heard her mentor call to her. She looked. And there, no more than a good leap away into the grasses, crouched Shade.

…

Sarah jumped with delight when she saw the little cat's head appear above the beach blanket. "Oh!" she and her mother both said at the same time. Sarah was on her feet in a heartbeat, wanting to give the little cat a hug.

"Sarah, wait. Just watch."

But Sarah didn't wait. As the little cat took a short leap out of the beach blanket, landing a little unsurely, Sarah moved forward. She didn't want the cat to wander again into the roadway. "No Kitty!"

"Sarah –wait!"

Then it happened. Shade launched herself into full view. Sarah was caught up short as a dark blur leaped unexpectedly from somewhere close by, straight out of the grasses. It landed almost where she was about next to step and let out a loud hiss. Shade spat at the approaching tall one with all her nerve. It was unquestioned in Shade's mind that Silverpaw would be coming home tonight. Whether she herself did or didn't survive wasn't to be worried about; she was a warrior and this was the enemy. Sarah stepped back in surprise as Shade snarled a second time.

"Sarah – get back!" Margaret, just as surprised as Sarah, got quickly to her feet. She realized this was the second cat, the one who had made it across the road, the one who had darted off safely into the grass. "_Sarah!"_

But Sarah was frozen. She too recognized this as the second cat. Yet her legs were frozen. She had never seen a cat act as bold as this and as raw as this. This was truly a _feral cat_ as named by her doctor. Yet this one was far from sweet and soft; it was clearly a creature of these fields, alive and most likely dangerous.

Shade dared to move forward a step. The second tall one was coming up, she could see. Shade's fur was bristling over her entire length. There was no way she was going to back down.

Then as mother came to daughter's rescue, so too came the apprentice to the mentor's. Margaret got within distance and pulled Sarah back a step. At that same moment Silverpaw took a few unsteady steps and arrived by Shade's side. For a moment Shade glared at Margaret just the same as Margaret glared back at her. And then it passed between both that they both were guardians to the smaller ones with whom they stood and whom they deeply loved. The mutual glare turned to a drawn out moment, tied up in this bridge of understanding. Shade lowered the hair on her shoulders. Margaret relaxed a bit. Then Shade made a slight nod with her head, to her given as a sign of respect. Margaret took a relaxing breath.

With the flick of a tail it was over. Shade and Silverpaw darted into the grasses, reunited as a pair. Mother and child were left, hand in hand, along the edge of a busy road. Silverpaw would gloat about this tonight to her clan. Sarah would relive the entire story to her father and brother tonight over dinner. Both would dream tonight of what happened here alongside the roadway, about what could have happened and revel in what did - on this stretch of gravel and dust


End file.
